Senior Photo
by SaharaTea
Summary: Takes place one year after Season 1. It's their senior year, and Jonathan and Nancy's bond is going strong even though she's still dating Steve. Nancy asks a special favor of Jonathan - where will it lead?
1. Chapter 1

_People don't always say what they're thinking. But if you capture the right moment, it says more.  
_ _-Jonathan Byers_

* * *

Fall 1984.

The sound of his fellow classmates whooping and hollering over the upcoming Homecoming game drifted in from the hallway as Jonathan Byers stood in the darkroom developing prints.

He tried to ignore the noise. He could care less about Homecoming. He had bigger things on his mind - like the fact that graduation was seven months away, and he still had no clue what he was going to do afterwards. NYU wasn't really an option, even with financial aid. He had briefly considered the wild notion of hopping on a bus to New York and going wherever the wind blew him - hey, it had worked for some people, right? But the thought of leaving his mother and Will was pretty terrible. He didn't know what he was going to do.

There was a soft knock at the door. Jonathan smiled to himself.

"Come in. It's safe."

Nancy Wheeler stepped in and grinned at him. "Hey!"

"Hey," Jonathan replied. "What's up?"

* * *

Over the past year Jonathan and Nancy developed a strange friendship in this darkroom. She often came in after school to sit and talk with him while he worked. Sometimes she stayed for just a few minutes, sometimes for hours. She asked him a lot of questions about photography. Jonathan couldn't tell if she was genuinely interested, or if she just wanted the company. He knew Nancy didn't like being alone.

They didn't interact much anywhere else. Outside their lives went on as normal. Nancy would smile at Jonathan in the hallways, or say a friendly hello when he came to her house to pick up Will. He would see Nancy and Steve having lunch together or at the movie theater, laughing and horsing around with their friends. Jonathan and Steve had come to an uneasy truce after the events of last fall, but Jonathan knew Steve still viewed him with suspicion. It was ok. The feeling was mutual.

It was almost like the darkroom was Jonathan and Nancy's "secret" place. They talked about _everything_. Everything except Steve, that is, which was perfectly fine with Jonathan. Nancy confided in Jonathan that she still had nightmares. Jonathan told her things about his mother, father and brother that he hadn't told anyone else. He even told her about his pipe dream to attend NYU.

What Jonathan _hadn't_ told her yet was how he really felt about her. He hadn't told her about how much he looked forward to her visits, and the disappointment he felt on the days she didn't come. He didn't tell her that he made her a million sappy mix tapes and never gave them to her. He didn't tell her that he often replayed their conversations late at night when he was trying to sleep. And he didn't tell her that her face was usually the last thing he saw as he was drifting off.

* * *

"What are you working on?" Nancy asked as she gazed across a hanging line of photos.

"Project for class. We're supposed to take photos of reflections. Reflections in puddles, mirrors, that kind of thing," Jonathan replied.

Nancy nodded and cleared her throat.

"Listen, um...I need to ask you a favor."

"What is it?" Jonathan asked, bending over to inspect a negative through a magnifying glass.

"I want you to take my senior photos."

Jonathan almost dropped the magnifying glass and looked up at her, startled. "What?"

"I want you to take my senior photos," she said again.

"Why?"

"Because you're the best photographer I know. Don't worry, my parents will pay you and everything."

Jonathan furrowed his brows. "You do know there are professional photographers who can do that?"

Nancy snorted. The one professional photographer in town, Frank Koenig, was about 90 years old and almost completely deaf. She had seen some of the senior photos he took of her friends - cheesy, cliched portraits with forced smiles in front of some lame background.

"I don't want my photo to look like everyone else's. My grandchildren are gonna see this someday. I trust you," Nancy said with a smile.

Jonathan just stood there, skeptical. He really wasn't a portrait photographer. He much preferred landscapes and subjects that didn't involve interacting with human beings up close.

"Come on. I promise it'll be fun."

"I guess we could try it out. But I don't want your grandchildren to hunt me down if the photos are bad."

Nancy smiled. "They won't. So when can we do this?"

"Uhhh...tomorrow after school. We can meet here."

"Great!" Nancy exclaimed. "See you then."

And with that, she turned and left the darkroom.

* * *

The red and gold autumn leaves danced along the streets as Jonathan drove Nancy home the next day.

He had taken photos of her in three different places already. Nancy seemed happy with how things were going, but Jonathan had nagging doubts. She was so incredibly photogenic. Yet none of the photos he had taken so far felt good enough. They were too stiff, or too posed, or _something_. He really wanted the photos to be perfect, and for Nancy to love them. Not just love them, but LOVE them.

"Thanks again Jonathan," Nancy said. "I mean it."

"Sure," he replied nervously. _Please don't kill me if these photos are complete shit,_ he thought.

A moment passed. Nancy looked out the window and sighed. "You realize it's been a year, right?"

Jonathan nodded. "I know. Doesn't feel like it, does it?"

"No," Nancy replied. "It doesn't. It seems like yesterday that Barb and I were studying for our chemistry midterm together."

Nancy didn't talk about her much, but Jonathan knew she still missed Barb terribly. He felt a pang as he looked over at her. Outside the passenger window he caught a glimpse of a familiar dirt road.

"Do you have to be home right away?" he asked.

"I have a few more minutes," she replied. "I promised to help my mom with dinner."

"I want to show you something," Jonathan said as he pulled the car over and flipped a u-turn. "This road here leads to a pretty spot overlooking the lake. We should be right in time to catch the sunset."

"That sounds good," Nancy said. "I could use a sunset right about now." They smiled at each other. Nancy leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes.

A few minutes later they were sitting cross-legged next to each other on the hood of Jonathan's car. The sun was about halfway down the horizon and dropping fast.

"Wow, you were right. This place is really beautiful," Nancy said.

"Yeah, I like to come here to take pictures. The light is really good at the end of the day. Plus, not many people know about it."

"It's pretty _romantic_ too," Nancy said slyly. "Just how many girls have you brought here, Jonathan Byers?"

There was a teasing note in her voice, and Jonathan could feel himself blushing. He hoped Nancy didn't think he brought her to some sleazy make-out spot because he wanted to get some action.

He shook his head. "I've never brought anyone here." He cleared his throat. "I really don't...date much, y'know."

Nancy sighed. "Yeah, well...dating is overrated anyway."

Jonathan had no idea what that meant, and decided not to ask.

A few minutes of silence passed. Jonathan loved that they could sit together without the need to make awkward small talk.

Nancy stared contemplatively across the lake. "Sometimes I think I'll never get over what happened last year. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you." Her voice cracked a little at the end.

Surprised, Jonathan turned to look at her profile. The hazy orange afterglow from the setting sun was hitting her face in all the right places, and a soft breeze was blowing the dark curls around her face. In the corner of her eye he thought he saw the slight glistening of a tear, but she blinked and it was gone.

"Don't move," he said, as he scrambled for his camera.

Nancy turned her head to look into Jonathan's lens. As he clicked the shutter, she smiled gently. Her eyes contained a look of such warmth and tenderness that it literally took his breath away.

In that moment Jonathan thought he'd never seen anyone look more beautiful or transcendent.

He snapped a few shots, but something compelled him to lower the camera so he could see her with his own eyes. _My god_ , he thought.

"What's wrong?" she asked quizzically. And then the moment was over.

"Nothing," Jonathan replied.

Everything was perfect. He knew he had his shot, and it was burned into his memory forever.

* * *

A few days later Jonathan was in the darkroom working when Mr. Maxfield, his photography teacher, walked in the room. "How's it going Jonathan?" Mr. Maxfield asked.

"Fine, Mr. Maxfield. You?"

Mr. Maxfield spotted an 8x10 print hanging on the line, and stepped closer to it for inspection.

"You took this?"

Jonathan nodded.

"This is excellent. Great use of light. Clearly you've been paying attention. Is this your girlfriend?"

Jonathan felt sheepish. "Uh, no...she's a friend."

"Huh," Mr. Maxfield muttered. "She's looking at you like you hung the moon and the stars. You sure she's not your girlfriend?" And with that, he winked at Jonathan and left.

Jonathan smiled and shook his head. All due respect to Mr. Maxfield, who was a good guy and taught Jonathan a lot, but he had no clue what he was talking about.

He carefully slipped the print in an envelope, sealed it, and wrote "Nancy" on the cover.

Should he slip it in her locker?

 _No_ , he thought. _I need to see her reaction_.

* * *

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Jonathan headed to the parking lot after school, obsessing over how to give Nancy the photograph. Should he stop by her house? _No,_ he thought. _Her parents might be around, and I really need this to be just me and her._ Should he call and ask her to meet him in the darkroom tomorrow? Or just hope that she showed up?

Lost in thought as he made his way to his car, Jonathan heard a familiar voice call out.

"Byers."

Jonathan turned and saw Steve Harrington leaning against a wall, smoking a cigarette. With his Ray-Bans, polo shirt and perfectly tousled hair, Steve was the spitting image of Tom Cruise. Jonathan thought of the Tom Cruise poster in Nancy's bedroom, and felt a little sick.

Steve blew out a puff of smoke, ground the butt into the sidewalk, and walked over to Jonathan.

"Hey man," Steve said.

"Hey," Jonathan replied.

"I guess you heard Nancy broke up with me this morning."

Jonathan was genuinely shocked. "No, I didn't. I - I'm sorry, man."

Steve sighed. "Yeah, well, I guess it had been coming for a while. We've been fighting a lot," He took off his sunglasses and Jonathan noticed how exhausted he looked.

Jonathan shifted his eyes, unsure of what to say. Why was Steve telling him this? Was he supposed to get him drunk or whatever it was dudes did for each other when their girlfriends dumped them? They were hardly buddies.

Steve cleared his throat. "Listen man, I just wanted you to know that she probably needs a friend right now. I tried to be there for her after Barb died, you know? But everything I said and did was wrong." He crossed his arms and leaned back against a random car. "But you...well, you were there last year. You know what went down."

Jonathan nodded.

"Just watch out for her, all right? I think she...misses you."

Jonathan blinked a couple times. "Uh, yeah. Of course."

This exchange was so awkward. Jonathan really wanted it to be over, but he had so many questions.

For a moment it looked like Steve was going to say something else, but instead he just put his sunglasses on. "Later man."

"Later," Jonathan replied.

Jonathan's initial glee was replaced by sympathy as he watched Steve walk off dejectedly towards his car. He had been insanely jealous of Steve for a whole year. Now that it was over, he couldn't help but feel bad for him. A year-long relationship was practically a lifetime in high school terms. In spite of his jealousy, Jonathan knew Steve wasn't a bad guy. This had to hurt.

But what did it mean when Steve said Nancy _missed_ Jonathan? That he should _watch out_ for her?

This was all so puzzling.

* * *

Thoughts of Nancy were still swirling around in Jonathan's head later that evening as he returned home from work. He had the house to himself tonight. His mom was at work, and Will was spending the night at the Wheelers'. Jonathan briefly considered calling Nancy until he thought about one of the boys answering the phone. He really wasn't in the mood for their inevitable teasing when he asked to talk to Nancy.

Jonathan listened to his stereo and tried to do a bit of studying, but it was useless. All he could think about was Nancy.

He was just about to turn in when there was a soft tapping on his window. He thought his heart would leap out of his chest when he saw Nancy's face on the other side.

"Hey!" Nancy exclaimed as he pulled up the window. "Sorry, hope I didn't wake you up."

"No, no." Jonathan replied. "Um...come in."

He offered her his hand, and felt a jolt of electricity as she took it. She climbed in as gracefully as possible and jumped down from the desk to the floor. She looked at him and smiled before dropping his hand.

"Is your mom asleep?" she whispered.

Jonathan smiled. "She's working."

"Oh." Nancy breathed a sigh of relief and brought her voice back to normal volume. "Then I guess the window wasn't necessary, was it?"

"My window is always open to you," he said, and then silently cursed himself for saying it.

Nancy smiled at that, but she looked nervous. She tucked her hair behind her ears. "I was just out for a walk, and um...I, um...wanted to say hi," she stammered.

"You were out walking this late?" Jonathan would never forget pulling her out of a tree the night she had gone into the Upside Down, or the terrified look on her face as he slept beside her. He felt incredibly protective of her. He knew Nancy was no wimp, but he hated the idea of her wandering the streets of Hawkins alone at night.

"Yeah, well...I've just got a lot of stuff on my mind." They sat down on the bed, facing each other.

Jonathan pondered whether to mention his conversation with Steve in the parking lot. Maybe it was better to let her tell him on her own.

"You okay?" he asked gently.

Nancy nodded. She looked around his room in awkward silence. She didn't seem eager to talk about Steve yet.

Jonathan took a deep breath.

"I have something for you, " he said. _It's now or never,_ he thought.

He reached for his backpack off the floor, unzipped it and produced the envelope with her name on it.

Nancy took the envelope and let out a little squeal. "The photos?"

"Yep. Well, actually just one. I think this is the best one. I hope you like it." Jonathan bit his lip nervously.

Nancy flashed a mile-wide grin that made Jonathan lightheaded.

She tore open the envelope and pulled out the 8x10 print.

Jonathan watched her face carefully as she took in the photograph. She blinked a couple times, her jaw dropped, and she slowly stood up, never taking her eyes off the photo.

Jonathan was in agony. "Well?"

Nancy's jaw was still hanging open and she couldn't seem to find words. Jonathan felt his heart sink. _She hated it. He was an idiot. He had disappointed her. Their relationship would never be the same._

Finally Nancy spoke.

"God, Jonathan. I don't what to say. It's...it's... _perfect._ "

Jonathan's brain froze and he had to remind himself what "perfect"meant.

"You - you like it?" he asked gingerly.

Nancy shook her head. "No, I don't like it. I _love_ it." She turned her back to Jonathan and walked over to the door, still staring at the photograph.

Jonathan was flabbergasted. Objectively he knew it was a fantastic photograph, and yet he still couldn't quite believe her reaction. He waited, desperately wanting to hear more.

"It's just that - this was a really special moment, you know? And I can't believe how well you captured it." She turned back around, and this time there was no mistaking the tears in her eyes.

Seeing Nancy cry gave Jonathan a painful punch in the gut.

"Why are you crying?" he asked softly.

Nancy stared at the floor and sniffed. She slowly raised her eyes back to Jonathan and gazed at him for a beat before she replied.

"Because this was the moment I knew I was in love with you."

 _To be continued..._


End file.
